Civilizations rise and fall - the Roman Empire, the Mayans, the British colonial empire - and now it's our turn. Consider the author's blunt term, "a post-industrial society." Yes, he means life after our vaunted high-tech industries grind to a halt for a lack of oil. John Michael Greer estimates world oil production maxed in 2005 and we are already descending the back side of Hubbert's peak.